As far as perceptions go, young employees are late for work and can’t handle responsibility or manage money. But those aren’t the kids flipping burgers and taking orders at McDonald’s.
The fast-food giant has launched a new campaign that aims to show the trust it puts in its young workers. In Canada, 70% of McDonald’s 85,000 employees are between the ages of 15 and 24.
Two television spots show three real employees as they make their way to McDonald’s and get ready for their shift. A voiceover explains what some people believe about young workers, but McDonald’s believes in Canadian youth, relying on them to handle big responsibilities.
“Many people don’t know what we put into the hands of our crew and the trust [we have in them],” said Solange Bernard, senior manager of advertising and media at McDonald’s Canada.
“Our business relies on them to handle sales, production, quality and the guest experience. We’re very proud of that, our crew is very proud of that, so this was an opportunity to showcase our appreciation for them and tell their story.”
The campaign is an evolution of McDonald’s Canada’s “Welcome to McDonald’s” campaign that launched in March. The campaign focused on real customers, suppliers and staff.
“We’d never done something like that in the past, where we focused on the people, the experiences and the connections that happen in McDonald’s. There was no product reference,” said Bernard. “It was quite a departure for McDonald’s.”
The new campaign will “continue to tell that story of McDonald’s to humanize the brand and just show a different side of McDonald’s,” she added. “People often look at McDonald’s as a big global organization and we really want to communicate that we are part of the Canadian fabric.”
The inspiration for the employee-focused campaign came from a spot by McDonald’s Sweden that showcased its workers. “We tested the spot in Canada and it resonated very well,” said Bernard.
A 30-second spot will run on television nationally. Three longer-format videos will feature each crew member and talk about their story, showcasing their uniqueness and personality, said Bernard. The ads will run on McDonald’s social media platforms including YouTube.
N/A developed the spots, Tribal did the digital work and OMD handled the media buying.
